Newman sets sights on Shuler's seat

Former Hendersonville mayor Greg Newman is vying for the Republican nomination to take on Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler in the fall election.

Michael Justus/Times-News

By James SheaTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Monday, April 19, 2010 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 11:56 p.m.

Editor's note: This is the second of two profiles of Henderson County residents seeking the chance to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in November. Due to time and staff constraints, the Times-News is only writing in-depth profiles on our local congressional challengers.

Former Hendersonville mayor and congressional candidate Greg Newman stands in front of fellow Republicans at the Buncombe County Republican Party convention in March. He composes himself for a moment, then launches into his campaign speech, using the strong oratory skills he has developed during nearly two decades of working as an attorney.

"I'm sick of people in both parties saying one thing and doing another," Newman says, his voice getting animated.

"Amen," comes a voice from the crowd.

Newman talks about running against U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat. He does not mention any of his five opponents in the Republican primary. He rails against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and says the voters of Western North Carolina should send someone to Washington with real "mountain values."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to draw a line in the sand," Newman says.

The crowd roars with applause as he finishes his stump speech.

Newman has been in politics a long time. Having worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney early in his career, he watched his bosses traverse the land mines of politics. Newman served as mayor for four years and had to confront several hot-button issues, including a referendum on building heights.

Now he wants a shot at Congress. He has run a campaign based on eliminating three departments in the federal government and claiming he is the candidate most able to defeat Shuler.

A career in law

Newman is a Western North Carolina native. He grew up in Hendersonville and graduated from Reynolds High School in Asheville. He attended the University of North Carolina, earning a degree in political science. He attended law school at the University of Dayton, where he studied criminal law.

After graduation, he initially worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, but eventually got a job in the district attorney's office in Ashland, Ohio. He prosecuted criminal cases and worked directly with the district attorney.

"I enjoyed being a prosecutor," Newman said. "I enjoyed working with law enforcement officers."

He eventually landed a job in Bristol, Tenn., in the district attorney's office, where he stayed until 2000.

Newman got used to being in the spotlight early in his career. As a deputy prosecutor, he often worked with the news media and was seen as a public figure. One day in Tennessee, he was speaking about a case at a news conference. A group of men had robbed several stores and killed a convenience store worker.

"What they are is a bunch of thugs," Newman said in an off-hand way.

That night, the local television news led with "Local prosecutor calls criminals a bunch of thugs." Newman was worried about local reaction but was glad that his boss at the time did not overreact to news coverage.

Newman is engaging and genuine when he speaks with people. He smiles when he greets people at political events and calls many people by their first names.

In 2000, Newman moved back to North Carolina and was hired by a law firm in Hendersonville. He decided to work on the defense side after years as a prosecutor. Newman defends people accused of minor criminal offenses, such as people charged with DUI, and high-profile cases. Some of the clients pay privately, but he also serves as a court-appointed attorney.

"It was an economic decision as much as anything," Newman said. "We were having our third child, and I needed to make more money."

On the campaign trail, Newman never mentions his role as a defense attorney. He focuses on his political life and his career as a prosecutor.

Running for mayor

Most political pundits never expected Newman to become Hendersonville's mayor. He was fairly unknown even in Henderson County and faced Ron Stephens in the general election. But he won handily, garnering 69 percent of the vote.

"He just worked harder than anyone else," Stephens said.

Newman canvassed Hendersonville door-to-door. He introduced himself and educated the community about his background. He says he became active in local politics because of a proposed DOT plan to reroute Fifth Avenue. He did not think local politicians were working hard enough to oppose the plan.

During his time in office, the city was in the middle of the building boom. Several developers proposed condominium projects that exceeded the building height regulations in downtown. Council, in a split vote, passed an ordinance that increased the building height.

Newman was joined by former council members Jon Laughter and Bill O'Cain in voting for the measure.

After a long political fight, the ordinance eventually was overturned by a public vote.

"I felt then, as I do now, that people should have liberal property rights," Newman said. "You should have a lot of flexibility on how you use that."

Newman said the building height issue was about urban renewal and getting more people to live in the core of downtown.

Some think Newman lost political clout because of the issue. He stood behind the updated ordinance despite obvious public opposition.

"There was a lot of resistance to it," he said. "I took a lot of heat."

Stephens said it is telling that none of the three board members who voted to change the ordinance are still on the board. Newman said the two things are not related. Newman chose not to run for re-election, as did O'Cain. Laughter was defeated.

People from the past

Former Buncombe County Chairman Nathan Ramsey has become an integral part of Newman's campaign. He travels with Newman to events throughout the district and represents him at meetings that Newman cannot attend.

Buncombe County could play a pivotal role in the primary, and Ramsey's backing could be important with two Henderson County candidates in the race.

Ramsey knows everyone. He often walks up to Newman at events, beginning with the question "Have you met ..." When Newman says no, Ramsey leads him through the crowd and introduces him.

Ramsey and Newman have known each other for years. They both attended Reynolds High, and their families have known each other since their childhood.

Ramsey has an astute understanding of politics and the 11th Congressional District in particular. Ask him about a specific precinct in Buncombe County, and Ramsey will tell you how many votes he received during his first and second elections.

During the campaign, people who have known Newman for years have also come out of the woodwork. Buncombe County resident Raymond Annen was adorned with "Newman for Congress" paraphernalia at the convention. He learned about Newman's run for Congress from a media report. The two lived near each other when Newman was young.

"I called him up and I said, 'Did you used to come over and mow my lawn?' " Annen said. "He said, 'yes.' "

He lost track of Newman after he left for law school and was unaware that Newman had served as the mayor of Hendersonville. He now supports Newman with passion and conviction.

Newman uses these numerous connections to his advantage. In Haywood County, Newman strikes up a conversation with a candidate for a local office. Newman learns the man's last name and asks if he knows people with the same last name. Finding they do not know any of the same people, Newman writes the man's name down.

"I have friends here who will know him," Newman says later.

Cutting the deficit

The cornerstone of Newman's campaign is cutting several federal agencies and working toward balancing the federal budget. He wants to eliminate the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education and Department of Energy. He thinks these agencies waste federal money and are not relevant in the 21st century.

"I think enough people realize we are going to have to do something because we cannot sustain ourselves financially very much longer," Newman said. "We are talking about insolvency for Medicare in seven years and Social Security a couple of years after that. So we are going to have to make some changes."

He said he understands the ideas are controversial, but he says the federal government must rein in spending and deal with the growing deficit. Many Republicans support the idea of cutting federal jobs, but Newman said eliminating the Department of Homeland Security has met the most resistance.

"Heck, we had a guy who tried to set his pants on fire in Detroit," Newman said of the attempted Christmas Eve airline bombing. "That is how well all of this is working. I was disappointed, number one, that it was a bureaucracy that Republicans established and that we did it more out of a panic. I don't think it was well thought out."

He is strongly opposed to the bailouts and federal stimulus legislation that have occurred in the past year. He thinks the federal government has overstepped its bounds and is now competing with private capital.

"Taxpayer money was used to keep Chrysler and GM afloat, and the president is weighing in directly on who the CEO of a corporation is going to be," Newman said. "That is troublesome. We continue to bail out AIG and others."

Newman thinks he is the right person to take on Shuler in the fall. He speaks about Shuler's inconsistent message and the need to return fiscal discipline to Washington .

"It bothers me about him (Shuler), and for the district he uses these catch phrases and buzz words like 'mountain values,' the 'common sense fiscal conservative,' " Newman said.

"But that is not how he votes. He talks about job creation, but we have horribly high unemployment in this district."

<p>Editor's note: This is the second of two profiles of Henderson County residents seeking the chance to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler in November. Due to time and staff constraints, the Times-News is only writing in-depth profiles on our local congressional challengers.</p><p>Former Hendersonville mayor and congressional candidate Greg Newman stands in front of fellow Republicans at the Buncombe County Republican Party convention in March. He composes himself for a moment, then launches into his campaign speech, using the strong oratory skills he has developed during nearly two decades of working as an attorney.</p><p>"I'm sick of people in both parties saying one thing and doing another," Newman says, his voice getting animated.</p><p>"Amen," comes a voice from the crowd.</p><p>Newman talks about running against U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat. He does not mention any of his five opponents in the Republican primary. He rails against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and says the voters of Western North Carolina should send someone to Washington with real "mountain values."</p><p>"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to draw a line in the sand," Newman says.</p><p>The crowd roars with applause as he finishes his stump speech.</p><p>Newman has been in politics a long time. Having worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney early in his career, he watched his bosses traverse the land mines of politics. Newman served as mayor for four years and had to confront several hot-button issues, including a referendum on building heights.</p><p>Now he wants a shot at Congress. He has run a campaign based on eliminating three departments in the federal government and claiming he is the candidate most able to defeat Shuler.</p><h3>A career in law</h3>
<p>Newman is a Western North Carolina native. He grew up in Hendersonville and graduated from Reynolds High School in Asheville. He attended the University of North Carolina, earning a degree in political science. He attended law school at the University of Dayton, where he studied criminal law.</p><p>After graduation, he initially worked at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, but eventually got a job in the district attorney's office in Ashland, Ohio. He prosecuted criminal cases and worked directly with the district attorney.</p><p>"I enjoyed being a prosecutor," Newman said. "I enjoyed working with law enforcement officers."</p><p>He eventually landed a job in Bristol, Tenn., in the district attorney's office, where he stayed until 2000.</p><p>Newman got used to being in the spotlight early in his career. As a deputy prosecutor, he often worked with the news media and was seen as a public figure. One day in Tennessee, he was speaking about a case at a news conference. A group of men had robbed several stores and killed a convenience store worker.</p><p>"What they are is a bunch of thugs," Newman said in an off-hand way.</p><p>That night, the local television news led with "Local prosecutor calls criminals a bunch of thugs." Newman was worried about local reaction but was glad that his boss at the time did not overreact to news coverage.</p><p>Newman is engaging and genuine when he speaks with people. He smiles when he greets people at political events and calls many people by their first names.</p><p>In 2000, Newman moved back to North Carolina and was hired by a law firm in Hendersonville. He decided to work on the defense side after years as a prosecutor. Newman defends people accused of minor criminal offenses, such as people charged with DUI, and high-profile cases. Some of the clients pay privately, but he also serves as a court-appointed attorney.</p><p>"It was an economic decision as much as anything," Newman said. "We were having our third child, and I needed to make more money."</p><p>On the campaign trail, Newman never mentions his role as a defense attorney. He focuses on his political life and his career as a prosecutor.</p><h3>Running for mayor</h3>
<p>Most political pundits never expected Newman to become Hendersonville's mayor. He was fairly unknown even in Henderson County and faced Ron Stephens in the general election. But he won handily, garnering 69 percent of the vote.</p><p>"He just worked harder than anyone else," Stephens said.</p><p>Newman canvassed Hendersonville door-to-door. He introduced himself and educated the community about his background. He says he became active in local politics because of a proposed DOT plan to reroute Fifth Avenue. He did not think local politicians were working hard enough to oppose the plan.</p><p>"That really bothered me," Newman said. "They were noncommittal. It was our neighborhood."</p><p>During his time in office, the city was in the middle of the building boom. Several developers proposed condominium projects that exceeded the building height regulations in downtown. Council, in a split vote, passed an ordinance that increased the building height.</p><p>Newman was joined by former council members Jon Laughter and Bill O'Cain in voting for the measure.</p><p>After a long political fight, the ordinance eventually was overturned by a public vote.</p><p>"I felt then, as I do now, that people should have liberal property rights," Newman said. "You should have a lot of flexibility on how you use that."</p><p>Newman said the building height issue was about urban renewal and getting more people to live in the core of downtown.</p><p>Some think Newman lost political clout because of the issue. He stood behind the updated ordinance despite obvious public opposition.</p><p>"There was a lot of resistance to it," he said. "I took a lot of heat."</p><p>Stephens said it is telling that none of the three board members who voted to change the ordinance are still on the board. Newman said the two things are not related. Newman chose not to run for re-election, as did O'Cain. Laughter was defeated.</p><h3>People from the past</h3>
<p>Former Buncombe County Chairman Nathan Ramsey has become an integral part of Newman's campaign. He travels with Newman to events throughout the district and represents him at meetings that Newman cannot attend.</p><p>Buncombe County could play a pivotal role in the primary, and Ramsey's backing could be important with two Henderson County candidates in the race.</p><p>Ramsey knows everyone. He often walks up to Newman at events, beginning with the question "Have you met ..." When Newman says no, Ramsey leads him through the crowd and introduces him.</p><p>Ramsey and Newman have known each other for years. They both attended Reynolds High, and their families have known each other since their childhood.</p><p>Ramsey has an astute understanding of politics and the 11th Congressional District in particular. Ask him about a specific precinct in Buncombe County, and Ramsey will tell you how many votes he received during his first and second elections.</p><p>During the campaign, people who have known Newman for years have also come out of the woodwork. Buncombe County resident Raymond Annen was adorned with "Newman for Congress" paraphernalia at the convention. He learned about Newman's run for Congress from a media report. The two lived near each other when Newman was young.</p><p>"I called him up and I said, 'Did you used to come over and mow my lawn?' " Annen said. "He said, 'yes.' "</p><p>He lost track of Newman after he left for law school and was unaware that Newman had served as the mayor of Hendersonville. He now supports Newman with passion and conviction.</p><p>Newman uses these numerous connections to his advantage. In Haywood County, Newman strikes up a conversation with a candidate for a local office. Newman learns the man's last name and asks if he knows people with the same last name. Finding they do not know any of the same people, Newman writes the man's name down.</p><p>"I have friends here who will know him," Newman says later.</p><h3>Cutting the deficit</h3>
<p>The cornerstone of Newman's campaign is cutting several federal agencies and working toward balancing the federal budget. He wants to eliminate the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Education and Department of Energy. He thinks these agencies waste federal money and are not relevant in the 21st century.</p><p>"I think enough people realize we are going to have to do something because we cannot sustain ourselves financially very much longer," Newman said. "We are talking about insolvency for Medicare in seven years and Social Security a couple of years after that. So we are going to have to make some changes."</p><p>He said he understands the ideas are controversial, but he says the federal government must rein in spending and deal with the growing deficit. Many Republicans support the idea of cutting federal jobs, but Newman said eliminating the Department of Homeland Security has met the most resistance.</p><p>"Heck, we had a guy who tried to set his pants on fire in Detroit," Newman said of the attempted Christmas Eve airline bombing. "That is how well all of this is working. I was disappointed, number one, that it was a bureaucracy that Republicans established and that we did it more out of a panic. I don't think it was well thought out."</p><p>He is strongly opposed to the bailouts and federal stimulus legislation that have occurred in the past year. He thinks the federal government has overstepped its bounds and is now competing with private capital.</p><p>"Taxpayer money was used to keep Chrysler and GM afloat, and the president is weighing in directly on who the CEO of a corporation is going to be," Newman said. "That is troublesome. We continue to bail out AIG and others."</p><p>Newman thinks he is the right person to take on Shuler in the fall. He speaks about Shuler's inconsistent message and the need to return fiscal discipline to Washington .</p><p>"It bothers me about him (Shuler), and for the district he uses these catch phrases and buzz words like 'mountain values,' the 'common sense fiscal conservative,' " Newman said.</p><p>"But that is not how he votes. He talks about job creation, but we have horribly high unemployment in this district."</p>